Control device



May 14, 194o A. c. REID 2,201,012

CONTROL DEVICE Filed sept. 1o, 1938 757k Fey @ene/Br fa/ma?" @Z'exQzdf C Feud' Patented May 14, 1940 UNITED STATES CONTROL DEVICE Alexander C. lteid, Genoa, Ill., assignor to Leich Electric Company, Genoa, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application September 10, 1938, Serial No. 229,262

- 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to electrical cir cuit control devices and is particularly concerned with that type of control device which at frequent intervals acts to close an electrical circuit for a brief period and then open it. In one form of the device it is particularly adapted to be driven by a synchronous motor and to close and open a point in an electrical circuit at ntervals of about one second, for a period of say tof a second. As an example of the utility of such a device, it may be applied to electrified fences wherein high frequency current is sup plied to the single wire of the fence for a brief period every second.

It is the principal purpose of this invention to provide a device of this character wherein the closing and opening of the electrical circuit may be controlled so that in every instance the circuit closing unit will be left in the same position in the event that something happens to cut olf the power that drives the control device. For example, in the fence control which is described, the device is so arranged that in all events the circuit closing mechanism will be left in the open position in the case of power failure.

The present invention contemplates, as a means of carrying out the purposes thereof, the provision of a rotatably mounted control element, such as a cam, which has a weight fixed thereto. A circuit controlling contact is actuated by the control element to close and open an electrical circuit during the period when the weight is traveling downward under the influence of gravity. The control element is so positioned with recontacts in the circuit to be closed, that the contacts are closed and opened within a cornparatively small portion of the travel of the weight from its highest position to its lowest position, The control element is adapted to be driven by a suitable power means, such as a synchronous motor, which is so connected to the control element as to give it the desired speed. The motor-to-control element connection is such that the control element may advance independently of the motor for a substantial portion of a revolution.

The purposes and advantages of the invention will appear more fully as the description proceeds, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein a preferred form of the invention is shown. It is to be understood, however, that the drawing and description are illustrative only and are not to be taken as limiting the inspect to the weight, and is so connected to the vention except insofar as it is limited by the claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. l is a view in front elevation of a device embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the device shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing changed position of the mechanism;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional View taken on theline 4-4 of Fig. 1, andv y Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary end view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4.

Referring now to the drawing, the present invention is embodied in a device which is adapted to open and close a point in an electrical circuit which is controlled by two contacts 5 and 6. The electrical circuit may be of any type, such as that hereinabove referred to and shown in connection with Fig. 3 hereof, namely, a fence circuit by which a single wire fence is periodically energized. rlihe electrical contact 6 is carried by a spring l mounted in a block 8 of insulating man terial', and the spring 'l is normally un-der tension urging it upwardly to bring the Contact 6 into engagement with the contact 5, as shown in Fig. 3. The contact 5 is also carried by a sp1-ing arm 9 mounted in the block 8.

The control means, whereby the contacts 5 and t are held in open position for a period of time and then permitted to close under the force of the spring l, comprises a cam element I0 which is rotatably mounted upon a power driven shaft Il. The cam element I0 is adapted to engage a roller I2 which is carried by the spring arm 'I of the contact 6. The spring arm 'I has two roller supporting lugs I3 and I4 which lie on opposite sides of the spring 9 of the contact 5. The cam element Ill, it will be noted, has a flat surface I5 which, when it engages the roller I2, serves to .actuate the contact 6 by releasing the pressure upon the roller I2 so that the spring "l can move the contact 6 upwardly. The actuating flattened surface I5 of the cam IU is of such length that it passes completely across the roller I2 in about 90 rotation of the cam element.

The cam element I0 is adapted to be rotated fromv the shaft II by means of a pin I6 on the shaft Ii engaging a spring Il which is fixed on the cam element I D at one end thereof so as to be out of the path of the roller I2. The connection between the shaft Il and the cam element I0 by means of the pin I6 and the spring Il is such as to provide for sufficient lost motion so that the cam element I0 can turn in the wdirection indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 at least 180, independently of the shaft II.

In order to control the circuit in which contacts 5 and 6 are located so that if at any time the shaft Il should fail to rotate, or the pin I6 should become broken o, the circuit would remain open, I provide means for rotating the cam ih during its circuit actuating movement independently of the shaft I I. This means comprises a weighted crank I3, shown in the drawing as a fiat disc which is affixed to the cam element ID. The crank i8 carries a Weight I9 which is composed of a series of iiat, heavy washers fastened to the crank it by a screw bolt 20. The location of the weight IB with respect to the actuating surface iii of the cam IG is important. The weight M3 is located just 90 back of a radius through the center of the actuating surface I5. From Fig. 3 it will be evident that the weight I9 is exerting its greatest rotating force on the crank I8 due to gravity when the surface I5 is directly engaging the roller I2, and the contacts Si and E3 are closed. If the shaft Il should stop for any reason, the weight I9 is suilicient to rotate the cam element I0 until the surface I5 is out oi' engagement with the roller I2.

The shaft ii may be driven by a synchronous motor 2i, shown in Fig. 2, this motor being mounted upon a supporting bracket 22 which also carries the block 8 and its associated springs "l and t. If the motor is geared so as to turn the shaft iI at about 60 R. i?. M., the shaft I! will raise the weight I9 to its uppermost position once for each revolution, or 60 times per minute. The weight t9 willcarry the cam I0 with it during its downward movement from its uppermost position to the bottom of its orbit, and in this movement the surface It will engage the roller i2 to actuate the contacts ii and I5. The speed of downward kmovement ci the disc is substantially constant, as long as the rate at which it is rotated by the motor is not in excess of the rate at which. gravity alone will cause the crank i il to turn. I have found that with the construen tion as shown, the speed of rotation during the downward movement of the weight I9 is such that the contacts 5 and 5 are closed for approximately Tlg of a second.

The particular construction of the spring Il and the pin Iii is highly advantageous in obtain ing a smooth and effective driving connection between the shaft I! and the cam i5. The cam I5 is slotted to receive the springv il, as shown at Ia in Fig. i. The spring il is curved around so that its free end is on the opposite side of a pin lla from the part that is embedded in the cam I5. The pin iid is a limiting stop ior the free end of the spring vVI. llt will be evident from an inspection of Figs. i., E and 5 that the pin it in its initial engagement with the spring Il' will be cushioned so as to prevent imparting a substantial shock to the mechanism. The effect of pressure of the pin I6 against the spring Il is to bend the spring il toward the pin Ila. This bending action, however, causes a greater overlapping of the spring ll with the pin I6, because of the peculiar shape of the spring I'l, until the spring il engages the pin Ila. When this occurs, there is of course a positive drive connection established between the shaft II and the cam i5. If there is reverse rotation of the shaft II with respect to the cam i5, the pin I6 bends the free end of the spring outwardly and the spring rides over the end of the pin IB. It is impossible, therefore, for the pin IE to get caught so that it would drive the cam l5 in the reverse direction.

It is believed to be evident that the mechanism will always come to rest with the contacts 5 and 6 open in the case of power `failure or any other failure or" the shaft Il to continue to turn the cam element I.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A safety intermittent contact actuating mechanism for electrical circuits comprising a shaft, a drive motor therefor, contact actuating element rotatably journalled on said shaft, a weighted crank connected to said element, and a lost motion drive connection between the motor shaft and said element whereby the element may be rotated by said 'weighted crank through a half turn independently of the shaft, said lost motion connection comprising a spring fixed to said element and having a iree end portion extending toward said shaft, and a projection on said shaft adapted to engage said free end portion.

2Q A safety intermittent contact actuating mechanism for electrical circuits comprising a shaft, a drive motor therefor, a contact actuating element rotatably journalled on said shaft, a weight fixed to said element, and a lost motion drive connection between the motor shaft and said element whereby the element be ro tated by said weight through a half turn independently of the shaft, said actuating element being connected to actuate the contact during said half turn, said lost ino-tion connection com prising a pin on said shaft and a spring on said element.

3. A safety intermittent Contact actuating mechanism comprising a shaft, means to rotate said shaft, a rotatable contact actuating element, a Weighted crank connected to said element and operable to turn it through :its contact actuating movement, said shaft being operable to complete the rotation of said element, and spring means connected with said element and operable to absorb the shock of driving connection between the shaft and the element.

ALEXANDER C. REID. 

